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About this project
This collection contains the California edition of the American Biography and Genealogy series by Robert J. Burdette. Contains biographical sketches and photos of prominent individuals in California.

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Choose a sample image from below to see the corresponding form field examples.Biography

Biography

Additional Sample Images

Use this form type for images that contain the beginning portion of a biography. The beginning of a biography is indicated by a subject's name being printed in all caps and indented.

Prefix

Key the name of the primary person (the person who the biography is about) on the page on which their biography starts. A new biography starts when a name is indented and printed in all caps. Key any titles before the given name, such as "Dr", "Rev", "Mr" or "Mrs", using the provided dictionary for assistance. If a prefix does not appear in a dictionary then key the prefix as seen.Key the name as printed at the beginning of the biography unless a more full version of the name is given elsewhere on the page. For example, if the name printed at the beginning of the biography is "William F McNutt, MD" but later on the page it lists his name as "Dr William Fletcher McNutt," key the name as given later on the page since it provides his full middle name. In this case, key "Dr" as the prefix.
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Given

Key the name of the primary person (the person who the biography is about) on the page on which their biography starts. A new biography starts when a name is indented and printed in all caps. Key the first name or initial and any middle names of the primary person using the provided dictionary for assistance. If a name does not appear in the dictionary then key the name as seen.Key the name as printed at the beginning of the biography unless a more full version of the name is given elsewhere on the page. For example, if the name printed at the beginning of the biography is "William F McNutt, MD" but later on the page it lists his name as "Dr William Fletcher McNutt," key the name as given later on the page since it provides his full middle name. In this case, key "William Fletcher" as the given name.
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Surname

Key the name of the primary person (the person who the biography is about) on the page on which their biography starts. A new biography starts when a name is indented and printed in all caps. Key the surname of the primary person using the provided dictionary for assistance. If a name does not appear in the dictionary then key the name as seen.Key the name as printed at the beginning of the biography unless a more full version of the name is given elsewhere on the page. For example, if the name printed at the beginning of the biography is "William F McNutt, MD" but later on the page it lists his name as "Dr William Fletcher McNutt," key the name as given later on the page since it provides his full middle name. In this case, key "McNutt" as the surname.
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Suffix

Key the name of the primary person (the person who the biography is about) on the page on which their biography starts. A new biography starts when a name is indented and printed in all caps. Key all titles, such as "Jr" or "III", following the surname of the primary person using the provided dictionary for assistance. If a suffix does not appear in a dictionary then key the suffix as seen.Key the name as printed at the beginning of the biography unless a more full version of the name is given elsewhere on the page. For example, if the name printed at the beginning of the biography is "William F McNutt, MD" but later on the page it lists his name as "Dr William Fletcher McNutt," key the name as given later on the page since it provides his full middle name. In this case, the suffix field would be left blank.
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Birthplace

Read through the biography and key the person's birthplace if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. The birthplace will be near words such as "born in," "was born," "birth took place in," "native of," etc. Key the birthplace according to the following rules:Key as seen, including any abbreviations. Separate jurisdictions such as city, county, and state with a comma. Do not key periods. Key a space in place of the period. Do not infer information that is not present. For example, if the entry says "born in San Francisco," just key "San Francisco" as the birthplace. Do not infer California as the state. Key only locality information. Do not key words such as "state of" or "city of" that may precede the location. For example, if an entry says "Truro, capital of Colchester county, Nova Scotia" key as "Truro, Colchester county, Nova Scotia." If a state nickname is given in place of the actual state name, key the nickname as seen.Examples of valid entries : Lincoln county, Illinois Lone Star State Missouri Florence, Italy San Francisco Truro, Colchester county, Nova Scotia
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Birth Day

Read through the biography and key the person's birth date if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Key the day portion of the date as one or two-digit values. For example, key "10" or "23" as opposed to "10th" and "23rd."
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Birth Month

Read through the biography and key the person's birth date if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Key the name of the month in full even if abbreviated or written numerically in the text.
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Birth Year

Read through the biography and key the person's birth date if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Sometimes the year will be the only part of the birth date given. Key the year portion of the date as seen, whether two or four digits.
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Father Given

Read through the biography and key the name of the person's father if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Parents names are usually given after words such as "son of," "daughter of," or "father was." The father's name is not always given in the biography, or may not always be present on the same page on which the biography starts. If the father's name is not given or not present on the same page, leave this field empty or blank. Otherwise, key the father's given name (first name or initial and any middle names or initials) as seen, using the provided dictionary for assistance. If the name does not appear in the dictionary then key the name as seen.
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Father Surname

Read through the biography and key the name of the person's father if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Parents names are usually given after words such as "son of," "daughter of," or "father was." The father's name is not always given in the biography, or may not always be present on the same page on which the biography starts. If the father's name is not given or not present on the same page, leave this field empty or blank. Otherwise, key the father's surname as seen, using the provided dictionary for assistance. If the name does not appear in the dictionary then key the name as seen.
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Mother Given

Read through the biography and key the name of the person's mother if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Parents names are usually given after words such as "son of," "daughter of," or "mother was." The mother's name is not always given in the biography, or may not always be present on the same page on which the biography starts. If the mother's name is not given or not present on the same page, leave this field empty or blank. Otherwise, key the mother's given name (first name or initial and any middle names or initials) as seen, using the provided dictionary for assistance. If the name does not appear in the dictionary then key the name as seen.
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Mother Surname

Read through the biography and key the name of the person's mother if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Parents names are usually given after words such as "son of," "daughter of," or "mother was." The mother's name is not always given in the biography, or may not always be present on the same page on which the biography starts. If the mother's name is not given or not present on the same page, leave this field empty or blank. Otherwise, key the mother's surname as seen, using the provided dictionary for assistance. Key the mother's maiden name as her surname when given (usually listed in parentheses). Otherwise, key her married name as her surname. If a surname does not appear in the dictionary then key the surname as seen. Examples: If "William C. and Lucy V. (Knapp) Maul" are listed as the parents, key "William C Maul" as the father and "Lucy V Knapp" as the mother. If "Frank and Florence Scatena" are listed as the the parents, key "Frank Scatena" as the father and "Florence Scatena" as the mother.
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Spouse Given

Read through the biography and key the name of the person's spouse if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. A spouse's name is usually given after words such as "married," "united in marriage with," etc. The spouse's name is not always given in the biography, or may not always be present on the same page on which the biography starts. If the spouse's name is not given or not present on the same page, leave this field empty or blank. Otherwise, key the spouse's given name (first name or initial and any middle names or initials) as seen, using the provided dictionary for assistance. If the name does not appear in the dictionary then key the name as seen. Do not key prefixes such as "Miss" or suffixes such as "Jr" as part of the given name.
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Spouse Surname

Read through the biography and key the name of the person's spouse if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. A spouse's name is usually given after words such as "married," "united in marriage with," etc. The spouse's name is not always given in the biography, or may not always be present on the same page on which the biography starts. If the spouse's name is not given or not present on the same page, leave this field empty or blank. Otherwise, key the spouse's surname as seen, using the provided dictionary for assistance. If the name does not appear in the dictionary then key the name as seen. Do not key prefixes such as "Miss" or suffixes such as "Jr" as part of the surname.
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Marriage Year

Read through the biography and key person's year of marriage if it appears on the same page that the biography begins on. Key the marriage year as seen, whether two or four digits. If no marriage year is given, leave this field empty or blank.
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